As an introduction I'd like to say that my examples aren't very creative. That's not really my specialty, though I'd like to think that others could come up with some better ideas with cool, realistic functions. Also, thanks for the read, it's a bit childish/naïve, but I do believe there is some promise to it.
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It's no secret that deflation is rampant. There's no real surprise there, a diminishing player base with an infinite supply of items does that sometimes (think: often). This isn't really Meepcraft's fault, as it's common in any MMO with infinite resources (think: Minecraft). The trick is to find ways to create demand, even when it's not really there. The appearance of a good economy is often enough to entice people to stay, which in turn actually benefits your economy. And, as I'll mention, it could potentially make the game a lot more fun and interesting as well.
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Essentially, I'm talking about some good ol' fashioned government interference. Currently all the iron, redstone, lapis, coal, etc is trapped on Vshop unable to be sold, while novelties like gunpowder and leather aren't sold because nobody has incentive to create it. Previous ideas have revolved around introducing rare items with cool functionalities to be bought with Meebles. We have NPC's, why not have them sell these items in exchange for stagnant items AND meebles? Ex: 100 iron + flint and steel + 20 gunpowder + 150 string + 1500 meebles = Fire aspect exploding slingshot sword (???) from the Blacksmith (conceptual idea).
I believe creating demand for stagnant items can extend well beyond NPC's at spawn, however, and could significantly improve the towny experience in terms of both town design and functionality if implemented correctly. Here is a quick list of my ideas (I recognize that many of these are not at all feasible, but let a guy dream, okay?):
- Custom structures within towns with a similar function to conduits in 1.13, providing a stat boost or other implementable benefit. They would be judged by architects or a new staff rank to see whether they are admissible, and would require some sort of item input. There could be different levels as well (i.e: I, II, III) which could increase the radius and/or degree of the effect. Higher levels increase the cost as well as how realistic the build must be.
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Ex 1: a port or docks. Requires: access to water, the port design along with boats, and 100 iron / 20 gold for the "ships" and "trade". Benefits: water breathing, depth strider, and aqua infinity boosts in vicinity of plot designated as the "port", along with either income for town or lowered tax rate due to "business".
Ex 2: an airport. Requires: hangers, proper airplanes, entrance, 6+ plots, lots of iron / redstone / food / etc. Benefits: rework of the /t spawn [ ] system so that doing so costs more (50 meebles?). Level I airport drops you down to 30 meebles, II- 15, III-0, along with income for town.
Ex 3: a communication tower. Requires: the tower and 200 iron / 50 redstone / 20 gold / enderpearls. Benefits: unlocks /tc (town-chat).
Additional Ideas: choice of "electricity system" (i.e: pay coal, make coal plant; grow trees, biofuel); town hall (taxes?), emergency services (regeneration buff, disable firespread?).[/INDENT]
- Town perks such as lowered taxes and sources of income. This works in tandem with suggestions above and below to improve the towny experience. Towns could become slightly profitable if enough work is put into them, as opposed to the money-dump they are today. Additionally, there would be accountability from town staff towards residents, as improving the town gives them perks. Finally, this would be great for builders and resource gatherers, which is great for the economy in general.
- Town quests. Examples include reaching 10, 25, 50, etc inhabitants; joining a nation; reaching 50, 100, 1000 plots, etc (I need help on this one). Benefits: meeble bonus in town bank, extra plots, lower taxes?
- Town standings and contests. A tier-based system could be created in which towns are placed according to their general aesthetic and adherence to a theme. Three head architects would tour the "upgradee" towns once a week and decide which group to initially put it in and/or whether it is worthy of an upgrade. Beauty (adding flowers, statues, fountains, gardens/parks, etc) and architecture would be considered. Standings could be kept fresh with monthly build contests, with the theme being revealed one week before the end of the previous contest (Ex: town with the best: bridge, tower, arena, mall, farms, medieval build, houses, roadways, boardwalk, plant coverage etc).
- Prominent community builders receive an opportunity to judge whether builds are suitable. These could either be our current architects or a completely different staff rank. Regardless, this is an interesting community-driven feature I've rarely seen elsewhere, which could help improve player retention.
- Additional "roleplay"-related item dumps (Ex: gunpowder for military; no military results in periodic stealing of funds in town bank...; etc).
These towny ideas have the added benefit of improving the aesthetic of the server, which certainly aids in heightening the server's reputation. Too many towns are done quickly to accommodate the most people, and oftentimes become somewhat messy/unprofessional-looking. This is a medium to improve building styles, whilst providing rewards for doing so.
These ideas could seriously help to raise demand and lower stocks of common items such as iron/redstone, while creating entirely new markets in things like mushrooms, rotten flesh, flowers, leather,... anything, really. I believe the #1 most important thing while implementing this, however, is to ensure a good integration with the jobs system, and to not favor only one job to all others. Iron shouldn't be the only item prioritized, thus further pushing the miner job, but rather items from each category of job should be included. Ex: carrots and wheat from farmer, jungle leaves from woodcutter, cod from fisherman, etc (additionally, "seasonal" changes could occur, where once every 2 or so months these items rotate).
Finally, what is great about this system is the immense flexibility it provides as well as the longevity. You can always tweak prices as item stocks change, forcing players to diversify their incomes instead of solely relying on diamond mining, which is slowly tanking that market. In the beginning only a few items/ideas could be added as a proof of concept, and over time any or all of the them could be added if the system proves to be effective.
At the very least it would result in a temporary development boost, as players compete to deck out their towns and gain specialty items, which would certainly help the economy short-term.
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POTENTIAL CONS
- A lot of micromanaging of the economy.
- MANY ideas simply not possible.
- Heavy implementation.
- Many will dislike the idea of roleplay.
- Could raise prices on some essentials, making the gameplay experience more difficult for newcomers (could address with increased starting money / tools? Also a good economy is one where they can make money quickly anyways).
- Bribery towards Architects / favoritism.
- Architect backlog to judge builds.
- Towns with the most benefits would attract the most people, and could take away from smaller towns' growth.
- Too convoluted; relies too heavily on the building aspect, which not everyone enjoys or cares for.
I won't be proud here, these ideas are definitely a bit out there
(even for me), and for many I can imagine they are just simply too much of a change from what Meepcraft is to us all. While I understand that sentiment, evidenced from my Cons list above,
I truly believe that in order to save this server, something drastic has to be done. I'm certain some parts of this idea can be used to help the server. I'd love to hear your opinion though! If you've made it this far, please consider replying in the comments and answering the poll. Like always, thanks and have a wonderful day!
-ThecrazyJJ
